


Nighthawks

by darkrosaleen



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Bikers, F/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23864764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkrosaleen/pseuds/darkrosaleen
Summary: When Poe comes back to the small town he was based in during the war, all anybody can talk about is the strange girl Finn picked up hitchhiking.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35
Collections: May the 4th Be With You Star Wars Fanworks Exchange 2020





	Nighthawks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badritual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badritual/gifts).



The only thing anybody in Blackspire wanted to talk about was Finn's new girl. Well, not _Finn's_ girl (not that anybody in town had bothered to clear that up); the girl Finn had picked up last week on Route 40, hitching west with nothing but the clothes on her back. Funny accent, either from Australia or North Africa depending on who you asked. 

Poe had been back in Blackspire for forty minutes, quenching his thirst at Maz's after a full day's ride through Kansas. It was hard to stay in one place after all the flying he'd done in the war, and he wasn't the only biker who came home to roost in Blackspire, drinking late into the night at Maz's before crashing on any couch that would take him.

The girl's possible relationship with Finn was the least interesting thing people were saying about her. "I'm just sharing what I heard from Jess," Snap said, pushing a French fry back and forth without eating it. "Supposedly the girl escaped from some institution out east. Has some kind of—" Snap gestured broadly to his head. "You know, problems. Poor kid. I heard she's an orphan, grew up on the streets somewhere in Egypt."

Poe flagged down another drink. "Not that I don't believe you, but in the hour I've been here, I've heard that she's institution odd, orphan runaway odd, and 'girl who wears pants and works on cars' odd. I won't believe any of it until I see this gal myself."

"Fair enough," Snap said. "You should ask Finn. You're probably the only person he'd talk to about it." Snap swirled his beer in his glass, brow furrowed like he was thinking hard about something. "Don't spread this around, but I heard she's got what Ben Solo had."

A chill went down Poe's back. "What Ben Solo _had_ was a bad crowd. Turned a good kid sour. Nothing to do with…problems."

Snap gave him a look. "Don't feed me that line, Poe. Ben had what his uncle Luke had, and they both had what old man Anakin had. Leia's a good woman, but that Skywalker family's cracked down to the foundations. Everybody knows it."

Poe shoved his stool back from the bar and grabbed his jacket from the back. "It's late. If you run into the gang, tell them I'm in town."

Snap nodded tightly. "I didn't mean they're bad people, Poe. Not even Ben." Poe nodded, moving through the smoky bar and out into the night. He left his bike in the parking lot and made his way down main street, toward the residential part of town.

If the girl was Skywalker odd, there were bigger fish to fry than where she came from. Everyone in Blackspire knew the Skywalkers—they respected Leia and Luke for their actions in Germany, but everyone knew the dark turn Anakin had taken in '05, and they talked in whispered tones about Ben's reasons for leaving town with a band of unscrupulous leather types. The rumors ranged from hushed talk of illegitimate children to lurid stories of insanity and incest. 

Poe knew that truth was strange than fiction. He'd served under Leia in the war, looked up to her almost like a mother, and he'd considered Ben a friend. The Skywalkers struggled with something that Poe didn't have words to explain. Maybe it was just insanity like everyone said, but Poe had seen all of them get that faraway look, like they were seeing a holy vision or something. Things they said offhand came back around later, a bit too accurate to just be a coincidence.

Whatever Ben had seen, it was enough to make him reject his family and friends and head down the same dark path as his grandfather. Poe wasn't the type to judge somebody for wearing black, but the way Ben's new gang had stomped around Blackspire like the owned the place left a sour taste in Poe's mouth.

As an unscrupulous leather type himself, Poe knew a rotten bunch when he saw them.

It was almost midnight, and Blackspire was already asleep, dark windows looking out onto empty lawns. It was cold for summer, the air damp and humid. The street was quiet except for the sound of insects and rustling animals. Poe found himself missing the constant hum of the interstate from a roadside motel.

Finn's house was the only one on the block with the porch light on. There was a young woman sitting cross-legged on the porch, poking at a disassembled radio. She was thin and tan, dressed in a faded brown dress with oil smudged on the collar. Dark tendrils of hair stuck to her forehead, which was furrowed in concentration.

Poe cautiously stepped up the walkway. "Hi there. I'm a friend of Finn's, is he around?"

The girl dropped her screwdriver in surprise. "Oh! Finn went to bed, I'm sorry. You must be Poe, he told me you'd be in town soon." She got up on her knees, wiping her hands off on her skirt and holding one out to Poe. "I'm Rey. I'm staying with Finn for a while."

Poe grinned. "So I've heard." He shook Rey's hand, noticing a strong grip and callused fingers. "I was hoping I could crash here for a bit, actually. Just until I can patch my bike up and head back out."

Rey's eyes scanned Poe's outfit, lingering on the tight leather gripping his thighs. Huh. "That's fine, I've been sleeping outside mostly. The couch is free."

Rey sat back down and picked up the screwdriver again. Poe took a seat on the stoop, watching her work. "You like sleeping outside? It's nice at night this time of year, not as hot."

Rey nodded. "I move around a lot. It's nice to sleep outside when you can."

"When I'm on the road, I sleep in fields if I can. Nice to not feel boxed in." 

Rey looked up and gave Poe a strange look. "You're not used to being boxed in, are you? You came here during the war, and you don't quite fit in now that it's peaceful. Everyone is settled and you just want to wander."

Poe shivered from a sudden chill. "I guess Finn told you my whole life story, huh?"

Rey blushed. "No. Well, yes, but not like that." She became very focused on a component inside the radio. "People here think I'm mad. They're saying I escaped from an asylum in Virginia, or some nonsense."

Poe laughed dryly. "People around here will say anything. They're not used to new people, or girls who fix cars and speak their minds."

Rey smiled shyly. "That's—you're kind, Poe, but I'm. They're not wrong." She set the radio down and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I saw this place. In a dream, only it wasn't a dream. I saw this town, with its little church and bank and the park with the big tree. And I saw a man, a big pale man with black hair and sad eyes. He looked at me like he could see me too, and then he…" Rey swallowed hard. "There was fire and blood. The man did something terrible, and I saw it, and I don't know if it happened or if it hasn't happened yet or if I'm just going mad."

Poe's blood went cold. It seemed like even the insects had gone quiet. Rey was shaking with nerves, so he reached out and squeezed her bare ankle. "I don't think you're crazy. I know people who can do what you do, see things that haven't happened yet." Rey's eyes widened in alarm, and Poe squeezed her ankle again. "Or might not happen. It's all hocus pocus to me, I'm as plain as dirt, but you're not crazy. I know you're not."

Rey looked down at her feet, where Poe was touching her. This close, it was hard to tell how old she was. He'd guess around Finn's age, young but hardened by life. There were freckles dusting her cheekbones, and a line on her shoulder where her tan ended. Poe imagined that if he pressed his mouth to her collarbone, she'd taste like motor oil and road dust, or maybe the sand of a faraway desert.

"I don't think you're plain." Rey looked down at Poe's thighs again. If she'd grown up on the streets, she'd definitely seen bikers before, but maybe she'd never felt safe enough to get close to one. "I think you're very kind. Finn says you're a good friend, and you take good care of your bike."

Poe grinned. "You want to see her? I was going to take her to the shop, but maybe I'll just bring her here instead. Get an expert opinion." He nudged her leg with his elbow. "Once she's up and running, I'll take you for a ride. I know all the good biker joints in the state, we can go out dancing."

Rey smiled, and it flipped Poe's stomach upside down. "I'd like that very much. Finn said he'd take me to the bar in town, but I don't know if it's the best one."

"Hell, I'll take both of you. Show you a proper night on the town." They were quiet for a moment, and Poe's nerves started up again. "Tomorrow, there's someone I want you to meet. She's kind of like a mother to me, and I think she can help you with your…hocus pocus."

Rey giggled. She inched over until she was close enough to lean her head against Poe's shoulder. "You've already helped me, Poe."

They sat on the porch talking until the sun started to come up and early risers began walking down the sidewalks. If anyone noticed Finn's new girl and his biker friend asleep together on the porch, they could gossip until the cows came home.

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked the idea of Skywalker drama in a small town, so I had to write it. May the Fourth be with you!


End file.
